- Sunday, 21 August 2016 6:37 PM
As local government enters an era in which coalition governments are increasingly prominent the question arises as to whether or not this is good for governance and service delivery. Coalitions are formed when no single political party has a majority of seats in a local council. Under these circumstance an alliance may be formed by […] 
Wednesday, 17 August 2016 10:03 PM
Economists have warned that the Economic Freedom Fighter’s (EFF) decision not to form a coalition with the Democratic Alliance (DA) in key metros could create an element of uncertainty. The EFF earlier said it would work with no-one, but would vote with the DA to form minority administrations in the Tshwane and Johannesburg metros. North West […]
Wednesday, 17 August 2016 10:02 PM
Political policy analyst Somadoda Fikeni says Wednesday’s revelations by the Democratic Alliance, Economic Freedom Fighters and the Inkatha Freedom Party on their coalition decisions will fundamentally re-configure the South African political landscape. Describing these announcements as epoch-making, Fikeni says ruling party has been pushed to the periphery and its control is noted secured unless it […]
Wednesday, 17 August 2016 10:52 AM
Within 14 working days of the election results being formally announced local councils have to start functioning. This requires that the first meeting has to be held by 24 August. The first order of council business is the election of a “speaker” who then takes over managing council proceedings. The second order of business is […]
Friday, 12 August 2016 4:36 PM
President of South African Unemployed Workers Union, Jabu Ntusi says the ANC failed to do well in the municipal elections because they imposed candidates on the people. Speaking on Morning Live, Ntusi says the ANC failed to listen to the people on which candidates they preferred. It’s more than a week since voting day and it’s […]
Thursday, 11 August 2016 6:41 PM
Between the national election of 2014 and the Local Government Election of August 03 (LGE 2016), the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) increased its share of votes from 6.8% of the total to 8.2%. This is a 20% increase in their vote share over a two year period. The change has widely been taken as an […]
Tuesday, 09 August 2016 7:34 PM
Residents at two hung local municipalities in Limpopo say opposition parties need to agree on coalitions to prove that they can provide good governance. The African National Congress (ANC) in Limpopo needs to form coalitions to retain Thabazimbi and Mokgopoong-Modimolle in the Waterberg District. Residents say opposition parties need to use the chance to prove […]
Tuesday, 09 August 2016 3:00 PM
The 2016 Local Government Election presented a myriad of reasons and opportunities for us, the citizens, to go out in large numbers and vote for candidates of our choice, writes Nkosikhulule Xhawulengweni Nyembezi. The impressive improvement in voter registration numbers and voter turnout in many areas across municipalities demonstrates the importance South Africans attach to […]
Monday, 08 August 2016 9:41 AM
Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) vice-chairperson Terry Tselane says despite all the challenges they’ve encountered, they are happy that they ran a very successful elections. Speaking on Morning Live, Tselane says challenges include acts of violence in some areas. Previously, protesting communities disrupted registrations on two voter registration weekends, making it difficult for IEC staff […]
Sunday, 07 August 2016 9:49 AM
President of the Voting Rights Organisation of South Africa, Geoffrey Simon Ngonyama, says there were several issues that the group observed during the electioneering process. On Saturday night, the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) declared this year’s Local Government Elections as free and fair. Ngonyama agrees with the IEC, but suggests that there was insufficient training […]
Sunday, 07 August 2016 8:35 AM
By Collette Schulz-Herzenberg, Stellenbosch University Undoubtedly, the poor economic and political performance of the ANC over the past few years (and the low favourability ratings of President Zuma) pushed many voters towards opposition parties in the 2016 municipal elections. While this may seem obvious, evaluations of government’s performance have had little impact on the fortunes […]
Saturday, 06 August 2016 5:58 PM
Collette Schulz-Herzenberg, Stellenbosch University – The continued electoral dominance of the African National Congress twenty years into democracy suggests a picture of a stable, core support base of loyal, enthusiastic voters. Undeniably the incumbent ANC has won an overwhelming share of the votes with numerous opposition parties sharing the rest of the pie. The opposition […]
Saturday, 06 August 2016 3:39 PM
Lerato Matlala Situated in South Africa’s economic hub, the City of Johannesburg Metropolitan Municipality is the largest city in the country with a population of 4.4 million people. Seventy two percent of the population is of working age. The City had 1.5 million registered voters in the 2016 Local Government Elections and political parties […]
Saturday, 06 August 2016 3:33 PM
Siyabonga Africa – The 2016 Local Government Elections (LGE) has delivered the governing African National Congress (ANC) its weakest showing since the former liberation party-cum-political party ushered in democracy in 1994. By midday on Saturday, the party was sitting on approximately 16-million ballots or 53.83% of the national vote. Its closest political rival, the Democratic […]
Saturday, 06 August 2016 2:53 PM
Michael o’Donovan With the votes counted and council seats allocated the new local government administrations have to be established. The first order of business is for each council to elect a mayor and, where applicable, a speaker. These posts are filled by a simple majority of council votes. In councils where one party has a […]
Saturday, 06 August 2016 2:41 PM
Naledi Mailula The Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality in Gauteng, regarded as the transport hub of the country, was an important focus in the 2016 local government elections. The ANC retained its control over this metro with a 48.64% lead of the votes and 109 seats, the DA with 34.15% and 77 seats, and the EFF with […]
Saturday, 06 August 2016 1:14 PM
Lerato Matlala The Democratic Alliance (DA) has seized a second metropolitan council in the 2016 Local Government Elections. The highly prized administrative capital is now in the hands of the official opposition. Having retained control of the Midvaal municipality earlier on in the race, the results for Tshwane were only released early on Saturday afternoon. […]
Saturday, 06 August 2016 12:27 PM
Sipho Kekana As the 2016 local government elections come to a close, power shifts to challenge the dominant party in both the big metros and local councils emerged, seemingly ringing in a new era of coalition and compromise. In more than 20 local councils no party managed to get a majority. It is mostly a […]
Saturday, 06 August 2016 11:12 AM
The Nelson Mandela Bay Metropolitan Municipality has undoubtedly been the most contested municipality in the 2016 Local Government Elections. Located in the Eastern Cape, the Port Elizabeth municipality has been a battle ground for political parties and was the first metro result to be finalised. The economic activity in the metro is driven by a […]
Saturday, 06 August 2016 1:09 AM
With 95% of the vote counted, it is now possible to determine each of the three major parties’ gains and losses across the country, writes Sithembile Mbete. Source: Electoral Commission of South Africa – *With 95% of the vote counted The numbers show that the ANC has haemorrhaged support throughout the country falling from 61.95% […]
Friday, 05 August 2016 3:27 PM
The ruling party, African National Congress (ANC)could resort to populist policies to appease dissatisfied voters after losing significant ground in local elections, ratings agency Fitch said on Friday. “This could include costly spending measures that could require breaching expenditure ceilings or redistributive regulatory policies that might undermine economic growth,” Fitch said in statement. “Increased in-fighting within […]
Friday, 05 August 2016 1:00 PM
In a one-party dominant, multi-party system like South Africa signs of electoral volatility are often obscured or masked by aggregate election results. A scrutiny of the election data at its micro- level component, such as Wards and Voting Districts, is therefore useful to identify signs of electoral change. Khayelitsha is one of the largest and […]
Friday, 05 August 2016 12:13 PM
With 92% votes counted turnout for the 2016 Local Government Elections is 57.96% nationally compared to 57.64% in 2011. Turnout will only be finalised once all votes have been counted.. The province that saw the biggest decline in voters is the Gauteng Province with a drop of 22% (557330) voters. In respect of the other […]
Friday, 05 August 2016 9:21 AM
By Sylvia Mbiti With all votes counted, the African National Congress (ANC) has won ten seats in Thabazimbi Local Municipality in Limpopo. Even though the party has retained the municipality, its support has declined. In 2011 the ANC support was 62.71%, now it has dropped to 45.3%. This is a significant dip in support; in […]
Friday, 05 August 2016 9:19 AM
By Naledi Mailula A look at the results of the Kannaland Local Municipality in the Western Cape shows that a coalition is needed in order to determine who would run the municipality. The Independent Civic Organisation of South Africa (Icosa) managed to secure the majority of the votes (48%), gaining them three seats in the […]
Thursday, 04 August 2016 6:01 PM
Recently, public opinion polls and surveys came under critical scrutiny and focus especially for their accuracy and predictions of the 2016 local government elections, writes Political analyst Kealeboga Maphunye. Yet, another issue that is now a characteristic feature of South Africa’s 2016 local government elections is the role of public intellectuals in the country, especially […]
Thursday, 04 August 2016 2:50 PM
With over 50% counted no results in any of the metros have been declared. Predictions of vote shares by the CSIR point to the ANC maintaining, as expected, an absolute majority in Buffalo City, Mangaung . The DA will consolidate its hold on Cape Town with two thirds of votes cast. Although predictions for eThekwini […]
Thursday, 04 August 2016 7:59 AM
Current projections about who will rule Nelson Mandela Bay seem to have a fundamental flaw. The governing of the city is still way open. This is more so if the computer-aided systems extrapolate data from already captured wards. The challenge with extrapolating from trends emerging from captured data is that the sample does not reflect […]
Thursday, 04 August 2016 6:00 AM
With a quarter of the voting districts having declared their votes, voter turnout is at almost 59%. Turnout is measured by the percentage of registered voters that cast their ballots in the election. More than 6 000 of the 22 000 voting districts in the 2016 local government elections have finished counting their votes. Nationwide, […]
Thursday, 04 August 2016 5:50 AM
The CSIR is reporting that the race for votes in the Tshwane Metropolitan will be a close one. The organisation predicts that the African National Congress (ANC) will win 44% of the vote. The Democratic Alliance (DA) is predicted to win 42% of the vote and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) EFF 10%. This means […]
Thursday, 04 August 2016 5:40 AM
With 24% of the voting districts in the Nelson Mandela Bay declared, the Democratic Alliance (DA) is predicted to win more than 49% of the votes in the metro. The CSIR predicts that the African National Congress (ANC) will lose control of the metro, winning only 42% of the vote. This is down some 9% […]
Wednesday, 03 August 2016 11:31 PM
The relatively peaceful local government elections today show that ordinary South Africans have accepted key democratic ideals, writes Political analyst Ongama Mtimka. It is a good sign for democratic consolidation when the citizens of a country increasingly rely on democratic processes to achieve their political objectives. The stakes were so high in many parts of […]- Wednesday, 03 August 2016 9:34 PM
Commentary on what will be memorable about the 2016 local government elections and the driving narratives which will be married to these polls seem to continue to vary among political analysts. This, from Vuwani’s boycott of the municipal elections, to the Democratic Alliance’s controversial decision to ‘expropriate’ the Nelson Mandela legacy, councillor candidates, political killings […] 
Wednesday, 03 August 2016 5:19 PM
Lecturer of Economics at Mangosuthu University of Technology and independent analyst, Precious Lugayeni, gives her perspective on four pertinent issues standing out in this election. The first issue is that of the race for three specific metros: Tshwane, City of Johannesburg and Nelson Mandela Bay. The race for these metros have been so strongly contested, […]
Wednesday, 03 August 2016 4:48 PM
By Collette Schulz-Herzenberg, Stellenbosch University The 2011 municipal election saw increases in both voter registration and turnout. The 2016 municipal election promises similar increases. Early indications are of strong voter turnout across the country’s 22 612 voting stations, according to the IEC. This bodes well for the quality of the election and more broadly for […]- Wednesday, 03 August 2016 3:01 PM
An important development for electoral politics can be found within the changing age structure of the population, writes Collette Schulz-Herzenberg from Stellenbosch University. Rapid population growth has caused the number of young people to swell. This has transformed the age distribution of the eligible electorate with the introduction of a significant proportion of young voters […] 
Wednesday, 03 August 2016 2:21 PM
As soon as 5% of the counting process has happened the CSIR will be able to predict who will win in the Municipal Elections. The race for votes in the 2016 Local Government Elections is underway but it will be a while before we know the final results. In the meantime the Council for Scientific […]
Wednesday, 03 August 2016 11:10 AM
Political analyst, Sanusha Naidu says coalitions do not always sit well with the electorate. Analysts expect to see coalitions following this year’s Local Government Elections. In 2011, the National Freedom Party (NFP) and the Minority Front (MF) went into coalitions with the African National Congress (ANC) in hung municipalities in KwaZulu-Natal. Speaking on AM Live, […]
Wednesday, 03 August 2016 9:38 AM
Reverend Gift Moerane who has served as a member of the Electoral Commission’s Conflict Management Mediation Panels says the work of the election observer starts three months before the election day. Speaking on Morning Live he says the work starts immediately after the election date is announced. Moerane says: “Parties will start to mobilize in […]
Wednesday, 03 August 2016 7:38 AM
Political analyst, Professor Fanie Cloete expects that poor weather conditions may have an impact on certain voters travelling to voting stations. In the Western Cape cold, windy conditions and more rain is expected to continue for most of the day. Cloete says that would benefit the Democratic Alliance because their supporters are more middle class […]
Tuesday, 02 August 2016 9:35 PM
The results as to which political parties will claim the much contested City of Johannesburg and the City of Tshwane are too close to call, this according to a recent poll by Ipsos. The poll also showed that the IPF will become the “biggest of the small parties” in the city. Speaking to SABC Digital […]- Tuesday, 02 August 2016 9:01 PM
Party manifestos and campaigns have not focused on issues affecting the youth in South Africa. This is the view of a researcher in Political Science at Monash South Africa, Busisiwe Khaba. Speaking on PM Live ahead of local government elections, Khaba says the focus on youth issues is somewhat distorted, “It is often generalised to […] 
Tuesday, 02 August 2016 5:57 PM
Once all is said and done on the eve of this elections (LGE 2016) , Bernie Sanders said, “Elections come and go, but the struggle of the people to create a government which represents all of us and not just the 1%, a government based on the principles of economic, social, racial and environmental justice, […]
Tuesday, 02 August 2016 2:32 PM
Susan Booysen Author of Dominance and Decline: The ANC in the Time of Zuma The stakes are high for the ANC in local election 2016. Local elections these are, but the result will be calculated to assess the trends that the ANC manifests from one election to the next. From 2004 onward at national level […]
Tuesday, 02 August 2016 2:20 PM
Social media data capture by BrandsEye indicates voter sentiment that suggests a scrambling in South African politics. The record of party mentions on social media platforms, in correlation with their local reference points, implies an ANC share of positive mentions at below 50 per cent in every contestable metro (namely Cape Town, Tshwane, Johannesburg, […]
Tuesday, 02 August 2016 12:08 PM
Vuwani, a small village in the Vhembe District in Limpopo whose existence remained unknown to many until recently, instantly shot to prominence when it erupted into violent protests in May. To date, many have come to know about it as that violent rural area in Limpopo where 24 schools were burned down in violent protests. […]
Tuesday, 02 August 2016 10:59 AM
Susan Booysen Political analyst, Wits School of Governance Politics and elections make strange bedfellows – especially when it comes to punishing the African National Congress (ANC). As dominant party over an extended period – and a party-movement that has been arrogant and dismissive of opposition parties – the ANC has left a host of […]
Tuesday, 02 August 2016 8:38 AM
Special voting for the trouble torn Vuwani area in Limpopo is expected to take place on Tuesday. The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) took a decision not to open the stations on Monday due to the low number of residents – only about 30 who have registered for special voting in 13 wards. The Vuwani area […]
Tuesday, 02 August 2016 8:03 AM
All across South Africa there are individuals who have chosen to attempt to win the privilege of serving all of us at a local government level. They are walking, knocking, “postering”, talking to people to make a cross next to their name, and if they are not an independent candidate, next to their parties name […]
Monday, 01 August 2016 5:38 PM
In both local and national elections voters are presented with more than one ballot paper. This presents them with the opportunity to split their vote.By Michael O’Donovan In national elections voters are able to cast a vote for a party on the provincial ballot and vote for another party on the national ballot. Obviously voters […]
Monday, 01 August 2016 12:15 PM
Interactive map of areas where leadership may change after the Municipal Elections. Projections show that the following municipalities will be highly contested on Wednesday. These are the areas where the current leading party (i.e. the party who got the most votes in 2011 but not necessarily a majority of votes) may lose that status. Click […]
Monday, 01 August 2016 9:38 AM
In 2011 the ANC won the municipal elections in Thabazimbi (Limpopo) comfortably with 70% of the PR votes cast. By 2014 that proportion had fallen to 56%. Projecting changes in voting patterns to August indicates that the ANC will remain the largest political party in Thabazimbi but will get less than half the votes cast. […]
Monday, 01 August 2016 8:10 AM
Prince Mashele, University of Pretoria The leading opposition party in South Africa, the Democratic Alliance (DA), has billed the August 3 2016 municipal elections in the country as the most important ever. The word “change” dominates the party’s posters. But the DA is wrong: August 3 will not be the most important electoral date in […]
Sunday, 31 July 2016 4:31 PM
On Wednesday elections will be held for all local and district municipalities in the country. This is an opportunity, that comes around once every five years, for voters to hold local government to account. However the accountability of elected representatives should permeate the full term of the administration and cannot be confined to two […]
Sunday, 31 July 2016 1:04 PM
Political analyst Dr Somadoda Fikeni says the media has covered all political parties’ election campaigns fairly ahead of Wednesday’s intense local government elections. Campaigning will end at six o’clock on Monday morning exactly 48 hours before voting gets under way. Fikeni has cautioned against depending on election surveys, saying they have margins of error. “The […]
Saturday, 30 July 2016 2:34 PM
As election candidates conclude one of the most memorable election campaigns in the history of our democracy and the focus shifts towards speculation about possible outcome of this election, we – the citizens – will do well to go out in large numbers and vote for candidates of our choice on August 03. Not voting […]
Saturday, 30 July 2016 11:50 AM
As August 3 looms the results of studies predicting the results have been released. These are generally based on “scientific” surveys conducted with a cross section of the adult population. Unfortunately these polls lend little certainty as to what to expect once the polls close. Telephone surveys by Ipsos for eNCA routinely show the DA […]
Thursday, 28 July 2016 6:12 PM
A constitutional crisis is looming in Limpopo as Vuwani residents vow to block the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) from holding municipal elections in the troubled area on August 3. Vuwani has been shut down since April after losing a High Court bid to remain part of the Makhado Municipality. Residents are still adamant that […]- Wednesday, 27 July 2016 5:23 PM
Race still influences people’s votes although the trend is declining. This is according to SeniorLecturer and Research Consultant Prof Susan Booysen. The local government elections are cross-over events between localised issues and the big narrative. Booysen says voters have become more accustomed to post-apartheid era and are reckoning the 22 years are quite sufficient periods […] 
Tuesday, 26 July 2016 8:41 PM
IFP set to lose its lead in Mthonjaneni In 2011, the Inkatha Freedom Party (IFP) got more votes in the local government election in Mthonjaneni (KwaZulu-Natal) than any other party. It won 46% of the PR votes cast. By 2014 that proportion had fallen to 33%. Projecting changes in voting patterns to August indicates […]
Tuesday, 26 July 2016 4:56 PM
Last week the African National Congress’s (ANC) head of elections, Nomvula Mokonyane, revealed that the party had, to date, spent in excess of R1-billion on its local government election campaign. The amount seems exorbitant given that other political parties will also be spending additional (albeit lesser) amounts on their campaigns. Unfortunately none of the […]
Monday, 25 July 2016 9:28 PM
The City of Johannesburg’s Deputy Director of Media Relations, Nthatisi Modingoane says the city is working hard to deal with unemployment. Unemployment is one of the major challenges facing the country and is one of the issues that will inform voters who to support in the August 3 Local Government Elections. Political parties have […]
Wednesday, 20 July 2016 11:53 AM
Violence monitor and analyst from the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Mary de Haas, says proper investigations are needed to curb political killings. The African National Congress (ANC) in KZN has raised concerns following a spate of killings of its councillor candidates ahead of the August local government elections. More than 10 ANC members, including candidates for […]
Wednesday, 20 July 2016 7:02 AM
Analyst Michael O’Donovan takes a look at the IFP’s track record and standing in the Indaka municipality in KwaZulu-Natal, in local elections.In 2011 the IFP got the highest number of votes in the Indaka municipality (KwaZulu-Natal) in Local Government Elections. It won 38% of the PR votes cast. By 2014 that proportion had fallen to […]
Tuesday, 19 July 2016 3:37 PM
Political analyst, Dr Sethulego Matebesi, has warned that the emergence of independent candidates will give opposition parties a run for their money in next month’s local elections. This comes after the North West recorded 92 independent candidates contesting for the elections. The Greater Taung is topping the list in the province with about 29 independent […]
Tuesday, 19 July 2016 10:46 AM
Should turnout in the August election be, as expected, lower than in the 2014 national election the ANC is unlikely to benefit as much as projected above, writes Michael O’Donovan. Conversely, the lower turnout will benefit the DA by several percentage points and the prospect of them losing control in Witzenberg may have been exaggerated. […]
Sunday, 17 July 2016 1:56 PM
Party politics is choking service delivery!’ said East London district counsellor Derrick Green. Green currently serves as the counsellor for Ward 19 and revealed that because of the internal tensions between committee members caused by their political party affiliations, the process of service delivery within his ward and the greater East London community has been […]
Wednesday, 13 July 2016 2:22 PM
Since 1999 the proportion of registered voters turning out to vote in national election has been declining. The turnout rate has declined from a high of 88% in 1999 to 73% of the 25-million voters registered in 2014. Over this period the average voter turnout rate in national elections was 78%. Turnout in local government […]
Monday, 11 July 2016 11:23 AM
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) says the number of eligible voters under the Musina local municipality in Limpopo has more than doubled from about 20 000 to over 43 000. The local IEC says the reason for the sharp increase is that some parts of the disestablished Mutale local municipality have been integrated into Musina […]
Sunday, 10 July 2016 4:36 PM
With around 7.5 million South Africans on Twitter and between 13-14 million on Facebook, it is only logical for parties to make their presence felt on these platforms ahead of the Local Government Elections on August 3. Two of the country’s top opposition parties, the Democratic Alliance (DA) and Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) know the […]
Friday, 08 July 2016 9:04 PM
Only about 2% of the 26 million South Africans registered to vote are between the ages of 18 and 19. The number might be even smaller as some of those who are registered say they will not vote. SABC Digital News spoke to some young people who say they will not vote. He is […]
Friday, 08 July 2016 6:44 PM
The Spatial Planning and Land Use Management Act (SPLUMA) initiated in July 2015 is meant to realise the transformation of our towns, cities and wide open spaces. Since then much has been done, but little progress has been made to meet the ultimate goal of the Act. Municipalities with cities and large towns have drafted […]
Wednesday, 06 July 2016 3:22 PM
Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersexual (LGBTI) community is not well represented in the up and coming Local Government Elections, says an expert.
Tuesday, 05 July 2016 12:56 PM
The challenge with splinter parties in South Africa is that they tend to rely too much on the personality of the leader rather than institutionalising the core functioning of the party. This is the view expressed by Political Analyst, Ralph Mathekga, responding to the National Freedom Party being excluded from the upcoming local government elections […]
Sunday, 03 July 2016 3:04 PM
The recently released community survey presents a profile of a country where households have, in 2016, better access to services than at in time in the past. For example the percentage of households with mains electricity increased from 32% in 1996 to 90% in 2016. In 1996 80% of households had access to piped water […]
Sunday, 03 July 2016 1:33 PM
Political analyst Lindiwe Makhunga says National Freedom Party (NFP) leader Zanele Magwaza-Msibi has nothing to lose if her party does not participate in the municipal elections. The party has approached the Electoral Court after the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) disqualified it from participating in the August the third polls because the NFP’s failed to pay […]
Saturday, 02 July 2016 2:59 PM
Immigration to South Africa decreased by 300 000 from 1.5 million in 2011 to 1.2 million in 2016. Gauteng and the Western Cape still record the highest number of foreign-born nationals. According to the 2016 Community Survey released on Thursday evening, the reason for this decrease could be sue to foreign born nationals not reporting […]
Friday, 01 July 2016 7:10 AM
The Limpopo province poverty headcount has increased by 1.4% since 2011, this is accounting to StatsSA’s Community Survey (CS) released on Thursday in Pretoria. The CS shows the province’s poverty headcount in 2011 stood at 10.1%, while in 2016 it stands at 11.5%. “There are more multidimensional poor households in Limpopo in 2016 compared to […]
Thursday, 30 June 2016 10:27 AM
South African municipalities used 25% of their annual expenditure to pay salaries and other expenses for their employees in 2015, the Financial Census of Municipalities showed on Wednesday. Since the boundary reform at the time of the municipal election of May 2011, there are now eight metropolitan municipalities, 44 district municipalities and 226 local […]- Wednesday, 29 June 2016 10:58 AM
A month before the August local government elections, new data from the Gauteng City-Region Observatory (GCRO) shows that satisfaction with municipalities in Gauteng has declined very slightly since 2013, but dissatisfaction has also dropped significantly. These results suggest a greater middle-ground of potentially ‘undecided’ voters. The GCRO is a partnership between the University of Johannesburg, […] 
Tuesday, 28 June 2016 8:38 PM
The Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) has urged political parties to play their role in ensuring that coming Local Government Elections are free and fair. Political parties in Mpumalanga signed the Election Code of Conduct in White River on Tuesday. Thirty six political parties made a commitment to adhere to the Election Code of Conduct. […]
Tuesday, 28 June 2016 3:37 PM
African National Congress (ANC) deputy secretary, Jessie Duarte says they will only deal with unhappiness over the party’s candidates’s list after August 3 municipal elections. Duarte said this while on the campaign trail in Gugulethu and Heideveld on the Cape Flats. She says the ANC is now only focussing on winning the elections. “We […]
Monday, 27 June 2016 7:41 AM
A single-minded commitment to revitalising the economy is key if South Africa hopes to reduce inequality and stem the increase in violence. As the African National Congress (ANC) battles a crisis of credibility, how likely are we to see the political changes needed to enable this kind of economic growth? Not likely, says the […]- Saturday, 25 June 2016 1:08 PM
Social Media is playing an important role in political campaigning and South Africa’s top three political parties have also used platforms like Facebook to promote their parties ahead of elections. SABC Digital News producer, Dinilohlanga Mekuto looks at how the ANC, DA and EFF are managing to pull numbers on social media. 
Friday, 24 June 2016 9:08 AM
Do you know who your ward councillor is? As local elections close in, SABC Digital News posed this question on Social Media. On the August 3 South Africans who have registered to vote, will take to the polls for their voices to be heard. On Facebook, Asnath Mmankgotse Modikwe says, “Yes I do know her, […]
Thursday, 23 June 2016 8:17 PM
Protesters allied to South Africa’s governing African National Congress (ANC) have been on a rampage following a fallout over the party’s choice of a mayoral candidate for the Tshwane metropole, which includes the administrative capital Pretoria. The Conversation Africa’s politics and society editor Thabo Leshilo put questions to political scientist Keith Gottschalk. Is political violence […]
Thursday, 23 June 2016 10:39 AM
In the run up to the local government elections many municipalities are going the extra mile to spruce residential areas up. As was the case in past elections there is clearly greater vigour with which municipalities repairing roads, cut grass in open areas, sweep the streets and so on. Unfortunately regardless of who wins municipal […]
Thursday, 23 June 2016 8:41 AM
Protesters allied to South Africa’s governing African National Congress (ANC) have been on a rampage following a fallout over the party’s choice of a mayoral candidate for the Tshwane metropole, which includes the administrative capital Pretoria. The Conversation Africa’s politics and society editor Thabo Leshilo put questions to political scientist Keith Gottschalk. Is political violence […]
Wednesday, 22 June 2016 3:27 PM
The local government elections system is designed to ensure direct accountability of representatives while ensuring that smaller interest groups can also be included. Despite the attempts to get the best of both worlds the system gives small regional parties an advantage over those with broad-based support. This works to the advantage of political parties that, […]
Monday, 20 June 2016 11:37 AM
Political Analyst Somadoda Fikeni says the African National Congress (ANC) has a difficult task of addressing issues of factionalism so that it does not lose ground within municipalities. This comes ahead of the ruling party revealing its mayoral candidate list on Sunday ahead of the upcoming municipal elections. It has brought in new names […]
Sunday, 19 June 2016 1:54 PM
The South African Broadcasting Corporation’s Foreign Editor and Acting Political Editor Sophie Mokoena says the African National Congress has learnt from its mistakes through ensuring that there is women representation in the mayoral candidate list. The ANC unveiled its eagerly awaited candidate list on Saturday night. Mokoena says since 2014, there has been a call […]- Sunday, 19 June 2016 1:13 PM
Political analyst Ongama Mtimka says it’s clear that the African National Congress (ANC) has serious problems in the Tshwane Municipality. His statement comes after the party announced that some National Executive Committee (NEC) members would be in Tshwane later on Sunday morning to help branches and their regional structures to finalize their choice of a […] 
Sunday, 19 June 2016 7:45 AM
The local government elections system is designed to ensure direct accountability of representatives while ensuring that smaller interest groups can also be included, writes Michael o’Donovan. Despite the attempts to get the best of both worlds the system gives small regional parties an advantage over those with broad-based support. This works to the advantage of […]
Saturday, 18 June 2016 8:23 PM
With a mere six weeks to go before the August 3 municipal elections, the battle for political control of the capital is hotting up. Election campaigns are in full swing. The Democratic Alliance (DA), Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF), and the Freedom Front Plus, among others, are trying to wrestle power from the ruling […]
Saturday, 18 June 2016 1:18 PM
The African Union says the continent is making progress when it comes to organising and participating in elections at a national and local level. The body says Africa now has more democratic processes than ever before as more and more countries adopt and rule by the ballot trend. Reports from the African Union show that […]
Wednesday, 15 June 2016 11:42 AM
The Electoral Institute for the Sustainability of Democracy in Africa (EISA) says the Local Government Elections will be free and fair even if they are inconsistent with the law. The elections will go ahead on the third of August despite the Constitutional Court’s ruling that the Independent Electoral Commission (IEC) did not capture the voter’s […]
Sunday, 12 June 2016 9:19 PM
South Africa currently uses the proportional representative electoral system which ensures greater inclusivity, meaning more voices are added to the political dialogue. However the system has been questioned time and again. Deputy Minister Justice and Constitutional Development John Jeffery says, “In the constituency system, the smaller parties get wiped out. So we thought, because of […]
Sunday, 12 June 2016 4:41 PM
Stats SA released its non-financial municipal census for the 2014/ 2015 local government financial year earlier this week. Some of the more stand-out features of that report included: There has been a marked increase in the delivery of basic services, with 2.5% of municipal citizens receiving water, 4.3% accessing the electricity grid, 4.2% receiving sewerage […]
Wednesday, 08 June 2016 10:47 AM
Democracy Works The largest proportion of the South African population is below the age of 35. Youth are therefore disproportionately affected by everything that goes on in the country. It is little wonder that unemployment afflicts the youth more than any other demographic. It is young people that feel the frustration brought on by inequality. […]- Monday, 06 June 2016 5:40 PM
With local government elections coming up in August 2016, South Africa’s biggest political parties recently launched their manifestos at mass rallies. Read here for more… 
Saturday, 04 June 2016 8:21 AM
The Democratic Alliance (DA), South Africa’s official opposition party, rules 26 municipalities in South Africa. They are aiming to add municipalities like Nelson Mandela Bay, Tshwane and Tlokwe to the list in the upcoming local government election. Their 68-page manifesto is titled “Change that moves South Africa forward again”. In the first pages, DA leader […]
Friday, 03 June 2016 7:35 PM
Local government operates within a highly regulated environment and there is a wide range of laws and regulations that determine how they may operate. With respect to financial matters these regulations are particularly stringent, and control how municipal revenue can be spent. The penalties for not operating within these regulations can impact on senior municipal […]
Thursday, 26 May 2016 4:23 PM
South Africa’s Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) party is contesting a local government election for the first time in 2016, having only been registered as a political party in September 2013. The EFF’s local government election manifesto is titled: “Our last hope for jobs and service delivery.” Like the African National Congress’ manifesto, the EFF’s is […]
Friday, 13 May 2016 6:50 AM
A ward councillor is an important element of the local government system and the election system in SA.
Sunday, 24 April 2016 12:11 PM
Political analyst Somadoda Fikeni says it will not be easy for the Democratic Alliance to win metros such as Johannesburg and Nelson Mandela Bay.
Friday, 18 March 2016 5:30 AM
ANC Treasurer General Zweli Mkhize says a non-racial society will not be fully achieved unless there is equal access to economic resources and opportunities.
Monday, 22 February 2016 5:07 PM
The African National Congress (ANC) is calling on opposition parties in the Tlokwe local municipality to focus on campaigning for Wednesday's by-elections rather than turning to the courts.
Sunday, 14 February 2016 12:59 PM
Political analyst Mandlenkosi Mthombeni says new emerging political organisations will find it difficult to attract voters.
Election debates programme, Battle Grounds 2016, is broadcast every Sunday on DStv, channel 404 and SABC 1 at 6pm.
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